2008 Woodie Awards
Students Guide to the Legislative Session
Kris DeRego
Issue date: 1/16/08 Section: Commentary
Opening day of the Hawai‘i State Legislature's 2008 session is upon us, and there's plenty of reason to feel excited about the prospects for this year's assembly. After all, it's an election year, which means that each of the state's 76 legislators (51 representatives and 25 senators) will be working overtime to address the concerns of their constituents.
The legislative process can be daunting, however, and navigating the political waters of the State Capitol is often cumbersome, at best. At times, the Legislature appears to have been designed to prevent public input, and a legislative neophyte can easily become intimidated or overwhelmed. If that happens, please consult the following guide to the legislative process, which will help you to lobby the Legislature like a professional political operative.
What is a bill?
Hawai‘i's constitution requires that each law enacted be first introduced in the form of a bill, which typically describes the subject matter and scope of the proposed statute. Bills serve many purposes, including amending the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (our state's primary legal code), appropriating funds for specific projects or proposing amendments to the Hawai‘i State Constitution (which are later submitted for public approval or disapproval).
What are the different types of bills?
Generally speaking, bills fall into one of four categories: short-form bills, companion bills, administrative bills and carryover bills. Most bills are short-form, which indicates that the bill has been drafted in such a form that the method of accomplishing the bill's purpose is contained within the bill itself. Companion bills are identical bills introduced in the House and Senate, usually by legislators from the same district, to increase chances of passage. Administrative bills are bills that are submitted to the Legislature by executive branch agencies. Carryover bills are bills that were pending at the time of the previous legislative session's adjournment.
How are bills different from resolutions?
While bills enact revisions to the legal code or create new laws, resolutions are meant to express the general will of the Legislature or one of its houses. Resolutions may request that a government agency convene a study of a specific problem, or they may request action by another government office, such as the governor, Hawai‘i's congressional delegation or the president of the United States. Resolutions may be adopted immediately upon introduction, though they are typically referred to appropriate committees and are vetted in the same manner as bills.
There are two different types of resolutions: concurrent resolutions and single-house resolutions. Concurrent resolutions require passage by both the House and the Senate of the Legislature, while single-house resolutions, as the name implies, require adoption by only one house of the Legislature.
What is the legislative timetable?
The legislative timetable determines the deadlines that must be met in order for a bill to become law. If action on a bill fails to transpire prior to a deadline set forth by the legislative timetable, the bill is considered dead, for all intents and purposes.
While the timetable is fairly complex, the most important dates include the bill cutoff date (the deadline by which all bills must be introduced), first and second lateral (the dates by which a bill must have reached its final committee within a given house), first and second decking (the date by which a bill, in its final form, must be made available to all members of the Legislature), and first and second crossover (the final date for members of one house to vote on a measure before it is forwarded to the alternate house).
How long is the legislative session?
According to Article III, section 10 of the Hawai‘i State Constitution, the Legislature convenes annually beginning on the third Wednesday in January, for a period of 60 working days, excluding holidays and mandatory recesses.
How can I submit testimony in favor of or opposition to a bill?
Once a measure is referred to committee, you are welcome to contact the appropriate committee chair, committee members and committee clerk to voice your concerns or support. It's helpful to provide background information explaining why you're interested in a measure, so that committee officials understand where you're coming from. After reviewing your concerns, a committee chair will decide whether or not to place the measure on the committee's agenda.
If a public hearing is scheduled for a bill, you're encouraged to provide either oral or written testimony in support of or opposition to the bill. Written testimony must be submitted to the appropriate office at least one day prior to a hearing, but oral testimony may be provided at the hearing itself, and will likely subject you to question from committee members.
The legislative process can be daunting, however, and navigating the political waters of the State Capitol is often cumbersome, at best. At times, the Legislature appears to have been designed to prevent public input, and a legislative neophyte can easily become intimidated or overwhelmed. If that happens, please consult the following guide to the legislative process, which will help you to lobby the Legislature like a professional political operative.
What is a bill?
Hawai‘i's constitution requires that each law enacted be first introduced in the form of a bill, which typically describes the subject matter and scope of the proposed statute. Bills serve many purposes, including amending the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (our state's primary legal code), appropriating funds for specific projects or proposing amendments to the Hawai‘i State Constitution (which are later submitted for public approval or disapproval).
What are the different types of bills?
Generally speaking, bills fall into one of four categories: short-form bills, companion bills, administrative bills and carryover bills. Most bills are short-form, which indicates that the bill has been drafted in such a form that the method of accomplishing the bill's purpose is contained within the bill itself. Companion bills are identical bills introduced in the House and Senate, usually by legislators from the same district, to increase chances of passage. Administrative bills are bills that are submitted to the Legislature by executive branch agencies. Carryover bills are bills that were pending at the time of the previous legislative session's adjournment.
How are bills different from resolutions?
While bills enact revisions to the legal code or create new laws, resolutions are meant to express the general will of the Legislature or one of its houses. Resolutions may request that a government agency convene a study of a specific problem, or they may request action by another government office, such as the governor, Hawai‘i's congressional delegation or the president of the United States. Resolutions may be adopted immediately upon introduction, though they are typically referred to appropriate committees and are vetted in the same manner as bills.
There are two different types of resolutions: concurrent resolutions and single-house resolutions. Concurrent resolutions require passage by both the House and the Senate of the Legislature, while single-house resolutions, as the name implies, require adoption by only one house of the Legislature.
What is the legislative timetable?
The legislative timetable determines the deadlines that must be met in order for a bill to become law. If action on a bill fails to transpire prior to a deadline set forth by the legislative timetable, the bill is considered dead, for all intents and purposes.
While the timetable is fairly complex, the most important dates include the bill cutoff date (the deadline by which all bills must be introduced), first and second lateral (the dates by which a bill must have reached its final committee within a given house), first and second decking (the date by which a bill, in its final form, must be made available to all members of the Legislature), and first and second crossover (the final date for members of one house to vote on a measure before it is forwarded to the alternate house).
How long is the legislative session?
According to Article III, section 10 of the Hawai‘i State Constitution, the Legislature convenes annually beginning on the third Wednesday in January, for a period of 60 working days, excluding holidays and mandatory recesses.
How can I submit testimony in favor of or opposition to a bill?
Once a measure is referred to committee, you are welcome to contact the appropriate committee chair, committee members and committee clerk to voice your concerns or support. It's helpful to provide background information explaining why you're interested in a measure, so that committee officials understand where you're coming from. After reviewing your concerns, a committee chair will decide whether or not to place the measure on the committee's agenda.
If a public hearing is scheduled for a bill, you're encouraged to provide either oral or written testimony in support of or opposition to the bill. Written testimony must be submitted to the appropriate office at least one day prior to a hearing, but oral testimony may be provided at the hearing itself, and will likely subject you to question from committee members.
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